


some mornings aren't great (but they lead to great things)

by schwanenkoenigin



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Christmas, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, New Year's Kiss, Polyamory, everyone's whipped smh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-09 12:53:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12888282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schwanenkoenigin/pseuds/schwanenkoenigin
Summary: Norminally Coffee Shop AU.Dinah has a shit morning and runs into Ally at a café. They start talking, and Normani, the barista, joins in on their conversation.





	some mornings aren't great (but they lead to great things)

**Author's Note:**

> hello yes it me :)
> 
> ok so!! i'm usually not even one for coffee shop aus but... i love norminally. and the second this person i talked to on wattpad mentioned it i fell in love with the idea of them meeting that way so... here you go. 
> 
> enjoyy!

Of course she realizes too late that she's got an interview the next day. Because it's, like, the 4th December, and she honestly is too much in the holiday spirit already. She doesn't remember anyone scheduling an appointment _this_ close to Christmas, either, because who the _heck_ does that?

(For the record, _yes_ , twenty days _is_ close to Christmas. Sue her.)

What kind of firm did she _apply_ to? She's not sure she'd like working for someone who wants to ruin her mood _right_ before–

She checks her e-mails five minutes before midnight, which she usually doesn't even _do_ , but _thank God_ she–

So, yeah, of _course_ she only goes to bed at one in morning.

And of course she sleeps for, like, five hours, tops.

Which means _of course_  she doesn't hear her first alarm. Sleep deprivation makes you so tired you sleep through anything. Add that to the fact that Dinah is a heavy sleeper in the first place… and here she is, running through the streets, rain pouring down on her. She just had to forget her umbrella, too, on top of everything else. Not knowing if she has any chance of making it on time. See, she's got absolutely no idea of what the building looks like; she merely typed the address into her phone and lets it guide her now.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" she curses as the rain becomes even worse. Only she can have such luck.

It's honestly– everything's great. _Just_ great. These are such great conditions to start a new job under. Or, well, a _potential_ new job. Great things to make her new coworkers and bosses like her. Not even making it _to her interview_ on time… yeah, everything's fine, Dinah's feeling _amazing_.

(Not.) 

And, okay, looking up isn't the best idea right now, especially with the raindrops being the size of ping-pong balls but, God, she needs coffee. And she can't very well find a café without looking up. _So she decides to look up_. And is met with raindrops. In her eyes. She curses. Again.

Another _great_ thing to add to her list of _great_ things happening today.

Anyway, she _has_ read on her phone that there should be a café nearby, so, really? She decides on the spot to screw the interviewer and her potential new bosses – she needs something hot in her system, and she can't be bothered by the fact that she'll be very, very late and will probably have screwed up every chance of getting the job before the interviews even starts.

"Whatever," she whispers to herself as she looks down on her drenched jacket. "This morning is fucked, anyway. It'd be a miracle if I ever make it there at all." 

She wonders for a second if she's even _allowed_ to go into the café with dripping clothes but– then again– what's the worst that could happen? She could get kicked right out. Which would be yet another awesome thing to add to the neverending list of– she just– she crosses the street in a hurry, makes a beeline for the entrance of the huge old building.

Not paying attention to anything inside – even though the doors are made of glass – she pulls them open and–

Walks right into the customer at the end of the line. Because of course she does. She couldn't have run into the large Christmas tree next to the door or–

She mentally scolds herself before apologizing, "Oh, my God. I am so sorry, I didn't– and my entire morning was–" She swears she's about to cry. She doesn't even dare look into whoever she's run into's eyes.

Until– "Hey, breathe, it's okay."

And, damn, she just had to run into the most gorgeous girl she's ever laid eyes on. Exactly _why_ does she have to meet her while she's the worst version of herself? Wet hair, wet coat, wet pants, makeup all– 

"Are– are you okay? You're crying," the girl observes.

Of course Dinah Jane Hansen has to start crying in front of a stranger who she happens to find incredibly beautiful. "It's the rain," she presses out. It's a huge lie. But– it's just– only Dinah Jane Hansen would have the worst morning only to find–

 _Her_. "Is there a problem here?" a voice cuts through Dinah's self-deprecating thoughts. And the voice belongs to, well, the other most beautiful girl in the world. 

Why is this happening to her? _Two girls_? Fuck her, really.

"No, no," the smaller girl replies, "everything's fine. I– I think we should sit down, though. After we've ordered. What do you say, stranger?" 

Dinah, who's been too ashamed to look at either girl, finally looks up again. Two pairs of eyes – two _unbelievably pretty_ pairs of eyes – are on her, and they're not filled with judgment at all; on the contrary, they're full of care; these girls really want to know what's up with her, and she– she absolutely hasn't processed any of what they've said. "Huh?" she mumbles, knitting her eyebrows.

(She's stopped crying now, at least, so there's that.)

They look at each other and smile. The taller girl says, "You two sit down. I'll get you your coffees. Or– whatever you want. Just tell me and I'll make it happen." 

Dinah still isn't really back down on Earth yet, she doesn't know what's up, but orders her usual coffee with milk and sugar, and then watches the girl she ran into tell the staff member what she wants. She watches her thank the girl, and–

"Come on, there's a free table by the window. Let's sit."

Not expecting the girl to grab her hand, Dinah jumps a little when it happens, but she lets herself be led to the tiny booth at the end opposite the counter. 

They get comfy – well, as comfy as it can get with drenched clothes – and– damn, is she allowed to soak the furniture?

Great.  _Ruin your own day and a coffee shop booth, all before 9am_ , check. She can certainly cross _that_ off of her bucket list.

(She can  _barely_ prevent her eyes from rolling into the back of her head.) 

"I'm Ally, by the way," the girl introduces herself as Dinah takes off her jacket. 

"I'm wet," Dinah replies. It's not even meant to be sexual or flirty but– oh, well, what the hell. It's already all ruined so… might as well ruin even more and, in the process, establish oneself as the inappropriate one. She smirks for effect and watches Ally blush.

There are two possibilities – she's either screwed up her chances with Ally completely by making her uncomfortable, or Ally is impressed by her blunt personality and is, like, super into her.

(The first one seems more likely.)

Also, she's literally cried in front of her, so– she puts her arms on the table and lets her head sink down. "Damn, even _this_ isn't going as I wanted. This day is a huge mess." She groans.

Ally reaches across the table to touch her hand yet again. "Hey, I promise it's alright. Why don't you tell me what happened? You looked totally distraught, and your clothes– I'm pretty sure you don't always walk around like this." A chuckle follows her words, and Dinah cracks a little smile, too. "So, correct me if I'm wrong but… probably not planned. And, even though you seemed like you knew how to flirt just now–" she clears her throat awkwardly and Dinah huffs to herself – of course she made her uncomfortable – "I don't think walking into me was planned, either."

Dinah looks up, groans again, and then leans back against the headrest of the bench. Bites her lip. Quietly fidgets with her hands still laying on the table. Where to even start?

"Alright, girls–" their heads instantly turn to the barista whose voice startles them– "here you go. One coffee, one hot chocolate."

"Thanks," Ally says as the drinks are put on the table. She smiles, too, and Dinah swears it's the most beautiful smile she's ever seen.

 _God_.

"You're welcome," the barista answers. She smiles, then, as well, and Dinah knows she's screwed. So, _so_ screwed. Her smile isn't any less beautiful than Ally's. Oh, God. God, God, God. The barista doesn't leave, either. She keeps standing there, looking at her and Ally respectively and clears her throat. "Um–" she starts, "I'm actually done with my shift so– do you mind if I–" she scratches the back of her head– "sit down with you for a bit? I kind of need the company – two of my colleagues are, like, dating, and they're constantly flirting so that's all I hear all day – okay, so, like, they're also cute as hell but that's– actually, that's an entirely different story– all– uh– all I'm saying is I need to hear someone else's voice now, and I also sort of overheard you talking and– uh– maybe you could need some company, too, after that start of the day you just had." She ends her very much rambled speech looking Dinah directly in the eye, and– 

Dinah and Ally quickly glance at each other. Neither has anything against the barista sitting down with them – that's kind of an understatement, really; they'd _love_ for her to be with them– _sit_ with them – so Dinah nods quietly before Ally helps her and says, "Yeah, sure, you're welcome to." She makes room for the girl on her side of the booth.

"Great," she smiles, "let me just– I've got to change real quick." She walks a few steps backward toward a door opposite the booth – a door that is surrounded by lots and lots of fairy lights and has _HO HO HO_ written on it; as if the other decorations don't make it obvious enough already that it's Christmas soon – and eventually turns around. Before she disappears, she says, "Be right back," and– with that, she's gone.

Dinah is still looking at the closed door when–

"She's pretty."

"Huh?" 

Ally laughs. It's such a nice sound, and Dinah wants to hear it again and again and again. _Damn_. "I said she's pretty."

Oh, yeah. Definitely. Yeah. "Uh– yeah. She is."

"You never did tell me your name, though," Ally says after a few minutes of silence and sipping some of her hot chocolate.

That's– yeah. True. With all the flirting – but probably-not-flirting – she completely forgot. "I'm Dinah. Dinah Jane." She grins. Maybe she can make Ally laugh again. Yeah, she should try. After all, it _is_ really nice when she does that… "But you might as well call me the girl of your dreams."

She does laugh. And how. She throws her head back in the process, and it's utterly, utterly beautiful. It makes Dinah smile, and it's a big smile, very big. Genuine.

Damn, she could get used to this.

(It's been minutes, and she's already whipped. Wow.)

"I'm glad you're having fun without me," the barista suddenly says next to them, "definitely better than watching you cry, believe me." She sits down next to Ally. "Alright, now that I'm here and have already embarrassed myself with that random ass storytelling…" She blushes, faintly, "I'm Normani."

"Hey Normani, I'm Ally."

"I'm Dinah." Should she make the joke again? Maybe–

"Yeah? Can _I_ call you the girl of my dreams, too?" Normani grins.

Ally bursts out laughing again, and Normani joins right in.

Dinah sits there, shaking her head. "Did you just make _my_ joke?" She raises her eyebrows. She's liking this girl. A lot.

(In case it's not obvious enough, she's liking both girls.)

"Looks like I did. What are you going to do to me now?" Normani challenges.

Oh, boy. This is fun. And it's going to be even more fun in the future, she's sure about that. "Maybe I should–"

"Read the bible and praise the Lord," Ally interrupts their flirting – and staring – "Y'all need holy water."

This time, it's Dinah who laughs. God, this morning is definitely taking a turn for the better. "You know, when I entered the café earlier I didn't think I'd laugh today at all. With the interview and–" The interview. Oh, fuck. "Oh, my God. I forgot about the interview. I fricking _forgot_. You two _totally_ made me _forget_ about it." As much fun as that is, she at least needs to call the company and cancel it. " _Shit_. Okay, I need to call them. Wait." She takes her cell phone out of her purse – which is made of some random waterproof material, thank God – and quickly looks for the contact. Dials the number she's saved. Explains that she can't make it – claims it's a family emergency – and even manages to reschedule in the end. "Thank you so much!" she says right before hanging up. She puts her phone away, drained. "Alright, well, it's done. Now I can enjoy the rest of this god-awful day."

"Hey, we _did_ make you smile. And, in the process, made you forget about how bad it is. Let's try again," Ally smiles.

Dinah smiles back, gratefully. "Thanks." She takes a sip of her coffee. She really, really needs it now. Closing her eyes, she enjoys the taste of it. It's strong, still warm, and that's exactly what she needs. She moans. "Wow, your coffee is good," she says, addressing Normani. She opens her eyes again.

Just in time to catch Normani smirking at her. "Thanks. You like my coffee – coffee made by two very annoying flirting coworkers, I might add – and– well, I like your moans." She winks.

 _Wow_. Dinah grins. This girl is as daring as she is. _Fun_. "Why, thank you." 

Ally just sits there, wide-eyed, blinking. "You got something besides coffee? I don't know, maybe some _holy water_? In the back?" She turns to Normani, smiling an exaggerated smile.

The dark-skinned girl laughs in response. "Nah, believe me, the only thing we have in the back is Camren getting it on." She makes a face. "Plus, if we did, I would use it regularly, so there wouldn't be much left."

Ally blinks again. It's too much for her ears.

"Oh, really? _Why_? Have some... unholy thoughts?" Dinah teases.

"Okay, y'all _really_ need Jesus," Ally interrupts their banter, exasperated. "And so does Camren. Whoever they are. What kind of name is Camren, anyway? Boy." She groans loudly. Shakes her head. "It's not even 10 yet and I feel like I need to go to church and bathe away the sins I just witnessed." 

The two other girls laugh quietly. "We're joking," Normani assures as she pulls the shortest girl into a side-hug. "And, for the record, Camren is– they're the two annoying ones I told y'all about. The ones constantly– they're always at it. And by at it I mean– okay, yeah. You get me. Their names are Camila and Lauren and, like– it's easier for me to say Camren than always repeat their names and how annoying they are. Did I mention they're annoying?"

"Maybe once or twice," Dinah says, smirking. "Thanks for the explanation. And, by the way,  Allysus, chill. We'll make sure you won't be involved in any more sinful acts."

Ally stares at her. "Too late. And what's that Allysus thing? I mean– what–" 

" _What_ , you prefer Allysin?"

"No, I don't– you two– I regret forgiving you after you ran into me already." She drinks some more of her hot chocolate. 

"No, you don't."

She sighs, putting it back down. "No, I don't." She smiles lightly. 

(It's beautiful.)

Normani smirks, "Alright, well, it's nice to know you two are bonding but Dinah here is literally quaking so we better get her somewhere where she can change into dry clothes. We wouldn't want to have our first date with someone who has a cold." As soon as she realizes what she's just said, she freezes. "Uh–" she pulls her arm back from where it's around Ally's shoulder, still– "I mean–"

"You mean you want a date with us. That's cute," Ally smiles, saving her.

"Yeah, super cute," Dinah smirks teasingly, "I just don't understand why you don't want to have sex with someone who–"

"Okay, alright," Ally interrupts her, "Dinah, how about you show us where you live?"

"Damn, Ally, so forward. I mean, holy cow, Normani wants to have sex on the first date, but you– we haven't even known each other fortwo hours, yet!"

Normani snickers as she stands up to get her jacket. 

"Don't flatter yourself. I might be tiny but I'm still going to fight you," Ally says, getting up as well. She waits for Dinah and then steps in front of her, putting her hands on her hips. Looks up at her all seriously. "With a bible. And holy water. Believe me, it's not fun." 

And, wow, Dinah can't come up with anything but, "You're so cute." She lets a wide-eyed Ally standing there as she makes her way to the glass door. As Normani and Ally follow her to the exit, she turns around, saying, "I'd hug you but I don't want you to get all wet."

"Oh, I don't mind that."

Dinah stops in her tracks.

So does Normani.

They both immediately turn to Ally. Ally, whose hands are crossed in front of her chest. Ally, whose lips are pressed together in an attempt not to burst out laughing. Ally, innocent Ally, who has just made an inappropriate joke.

"Did you just–" Normani points her finger to the short girl, looks at her. Then looks at Dinah. "Did she just–" She blinks.

"I think she did."

"Pick up your jaws, y'all, and let's get Dinah into something comfortable. From what you've said to her so far I'd think you'd want to see her bedroom, Manibear." Ally steps out of the café.

Dinah and Normani stay back. "I'm not sure if I want to laugh because of the joke she's made or if I want to cry because of how cute that nickname was."

"Same."

They look at each other. And, finally, they start laughing. Hard. The customers are all looking at them, and Dinah is still trembling from the cold, and Normani almost trips because her eyes are closed, and they almost walk right into the glass door, but–

But the sun is shining, and Ally is waiting for them with a huge smile on her face, and it couldn't be any more perfect.

"I'm so glad I won't have to see Camren for a whole two days now."

"Well, you could still see some sins if–"

"–if we read the bible. The sins described in the bible are the only ones I want to witness. Thank you. Let's get going."

* * *

It's 6pm. The room is only lit by a few candles and the lights on the Christmas tree. 

Some would say it's quite romantic.

"You think we should meet up for Christmas?" Dinah asks. She and the other two girls are currently wrapping the presents they bought earlier.

"Really?" Normani raises an eyebrow and looks at Dinah. "We've known each other for, like, two weeks. We went shopping together and now you want to actually spend Christmas together, too?" She's done wrapping her present, then, and moves it under the tree to her right. Looks back at Dinah. Crosses her arms in front of her chest. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you–"

"Don't act like you don't want it, honey. None of us have plans, and, dude, it's, like, totally romantic." Dinah winks.

Getting all excited about it, Ally claps her hands. "It's a great idea! Come on, Manibear. Dinah's right. We don't have plans, anyway, and– it's not like we hate each other. Quite the opposite, really…" She beams. But when the look on Normani's face doesn't change, she pouts. She's used to her pout working wonders...

And it does. Normani sighs. "Damn, y'all are whipped. Whipped as hell. You're worse than Camren. Which says a _whole_ lot. Because they're– phew, they invented a whole new level of  _whipped_. And you two totally surpassed it. Good job. I'll tell Mila." Normani playfully rolls her eyes. "I–" she groans– "Alright, alright. Fine." She looks from Ally to Dinah. "But, _darling_ , don't forget I've got something against you now." A smirk.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"We now know you're a sap at heart. Not just a relentless flirter." Normani looks proud of herself. Even sticks out her tongue.

"Kordei, you–"

Ally quickly interrupts them, squealing, "Yay! Mani, you're the best!" and crawls over to the girl to throw her to the ground to hug her tightly.

"You got me there," Normani laughs, "you got me there."

"I want in, too!" Dinah exclaims right before abandoning her current present and joining the embrace.

So now the girls are all lying on the wooden floor, surrounded by wrapped and still-unwrapped Christmas gifts and fairy lights, and they're laughing, laughing, laughing. And even even though it's not yet the 25th and they haven't yet received their own presents, they couldn't be happier.

"Okay, okay, okay. That's it. Y'all are suffocating me."

* * *

"You can make wishes at midnight, right?"

It's the first sentence spoken in the new year.

Dinah and Normani turn to Ally, who's looking out the window, still, watching the fireworks go off in the distance. The atmosphere is a little tense, and it really shouldn't be, because it's New Year's, and everyone should be celebrating.

But the champagne is on the table, untouched, and the three girls are just standing there. They counted down together, yeah, but after that–

It just seems like they all want something, and nobody is really brave enough to ask for it. Something's missing, and they can all feel it, but–

Dinah decides to break the silence. "I think so." She walks toward the window, toward Ally, until she's directly behind her. Over the girl's shoulder, she keeps watching the party outside, focuses intently on the fireworks. "Have you made a wish?"

"Yes."

Stepping closer, too, Normani quietly – but not too quietly because, well, the fireworks are loud, even if they're not right outside – wants to know, "What did you wish for?"

Once the question is out, everything just seems to become all the tenser. Ally's head sinks, her shoulders slump. She closes her eyes and sighs. "I can't tell. If I do, it won't happen."

It's not or never, Dinah guesses. "Tell us," she says, "maybe we can make it happen." It's barely a whisper, and they only understand because of how close they're standing.

A shaky breath leaves Ally's mouth. She's about to say it but– she– she doesn't. Instead, she inhales. Soundly. And then– another shaky breath. "I–"

 _Now or never_.

Almost inaudibly, she says the words.

"I want you to kiss me."

So now they're out there, floating around them.

Truthfully, both Normani and Dinah _hoped_ for Ally to say this exact thing, but, now that it's _really_ happened, it's overwhelming. So overwhelming. It's New Year's, and the wish they've had for a while is about to come true, and–

All they can do right now is look at each other, shocked. They blink, and blink, and blink again.

Ally, in the meanwhile, is still staring out the window, biting her lip anxiously; none of the girls has said anything yet and– what if–

Finally, eventually, after two long minutes – _they feel like hours_ – Normani admits, "Had I wished for something– it would– I would have wished for the same."

Ally turns around immediately, not sure she's heard right. Looks at Normani, wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Dinah agrees once she's pulled out of her shock as well, "me, too."

They all– it's merely half a second before they're in each other's arms, holding on tight. None of the girls can help the huge smiles on their faces. They certainly can't help _laughing_ into each other's necks, either. It's so great, everything's amazing, this year couldn't have started better, and they're about to–

Slowly pulling back, their hearts start beating faster. It's– they're going to–

This is it.

Their hands intertwine. Ally, closest to the window, still, looks down to the ground. Bites the inside of her cheek. And finally takes Normani's left hand and Dinah's right hand into hers.

Normani, to Ally's right, nervously looks at Dinah, but only for a second. Then, she smiles to herself. Looks down, too. Takes Dinah's hand in hers.

Dinah, right in front of the tree, grins. This is _incredible_ , more than she could have asked for. Starting the year like this, with the girls she likes _so_ , so much… holding their hands… squeezing them. Looking at them again, respectively. Reassuring that, yeah, this is what she wants, that she knows this is what they _all_ want.

Nothing can go wrong.

Not now.

Dinah takes the first step. (Of course she does.) She has to. She needs to. It's– they can't wait any longer, and she– she bites her lip for a second before letting go of Ally's hand. Brings her own up to the girl's face. Caresses her jaw, her cheek. Caringly, longingly.

And then, then, _then_ she leans down to kiss her.

The fireworks going off outside in the distance in this exact moment don't have anything on the ones inside of their bodies when their lips touch.

Normani can't hold back a squeal – it's unlike her, yeah, but, God, she's so happy for the other two girls – and for herself, too, of course – and– she watches Dinah and Ally kiss, smile into it, and she's absolutely in love with the looks on their faces. They're beautiful, everything's beautiful, and nothing is ever going to compare to this.

Before she knows it, Dinah has let go of Ally, however. She turns toward her– and her– her hands are on her cheeks, and she pulls her close, and– they kiss, too.

It's perfect.

God.

Almost better than seeing her girls kiss each other.

It's so, _so_ incredible. Has anything else ever felt like this? It doesn't matter.

Finally, after a few seconds, they lean back, grinning, and– "Come here," Normani says to Ally, who looks just as happy as a few moments ago.

Another long kiss is shared.

Watching, Dinah's grin gets even bigger. "I think I could fall in love with you."

* * *

 "I got the job, bitches!" Dinah exclaims as she slams the apartment door shut. "I have absolutely no idea how I did it but, apparently, I did it!" She throws her hands up in the air triumphantly.

Ally runs to her immediately, beaming. Hugs her tightly. Whispers, "I knew you could do it." Louder, she adds, "Mani, did you hear?"

"Yep," the addressed girl says as she enters the room, too, "although I'm not sure why you'd even wanted the interview in the first place. Didn't you say you hated the place?"

Dinah rolls her eyes as she ends her hug with Ally and turns to Normani. "That's just the _Christmas me_ talking, I told you. The place is actually great. They gave me the tour and I really liked the people there. No Camren-like relationships in sight. And– come on, Mani, I told you all of that, too." She pouts. "Don't I get a hug?"

Normani groans, feigning annoyance. "Sure, if you insist." She opens her arms and Dinah instantly accepts. "By the way, Camren got engaged on Christmas. Apparently, Lauren proposed. I'm happy for them. As long as I don't have to deal with their sneaking around anymore – I'm hoping that's over now that they're officially more than official – I'm  _very_ happy for them." She laughs quietly into Dinah's hair. "And, baby, I'm proud of you." She smiles.

"Damn, is it my smell? Or my charms? Just being so close to me?" Dinah teases, "What's got you acting all whipped?"

Normani breaks the hug and slaps the girl's arm. "I hate you," she says and crosses the living room to go back into the kitchen. Shuts the door. "I really do."

Dinah looks at Ally, grinning. "No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do! I hate you more than Camren!"

Ally laughs quietly before– "No, you don't."

"You really don't," Dinah chimes in.

"Admit it, Manibear!" Ally demands, hoping the nickname helps her case. She's pretty sure it does, it always does.

Yeah, _always_.

The door is opened again. " _Make me_." Her eyebrow raises challengingly.

Just maybe not in the way she–

Dinah grins.

Normani snickers.

Ally chokes.

**Author's Note:**

> leave kudos please? ily


End file.
